Saugatuck, MI

Shore Acres Park

3.875(based on 46 reviews)
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13 0
EspressoPatronum
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 18.6 years 232 played 223 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Disc Golf is Better by the Lake 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 15, 2021 Played the course:once

Pros:

- some of the best elevation change in the midwest
- numerous challenging wooded/technical holes
- several open shots to change things up
- large variety of length on holes
- minimal undergrowth made locating discs easy
- practice basket
- benches at nearly every hole
- whopping 24 holes, almost all of which were really cool
- decent baskets in good repair
- some protective barricades built in, such as for Tee 3 to protect from overthrows on Hole 8
- some mandos/drop zones add to challenge and help protect walking path
- concrete tees

Cons:

- signage is easily the worst part of this course, with very basic wood posts lacking detail
- navigation is doable with course map but can be challenging, especially on newer holes
- length may be a con to some players
- multiple baskets are poorly labeled and can add to confusion
- potential for heavy lake wind

Other Thoughts:

Shore Acres Park is a beautiful disc golf course located within (or at least partially within) Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Having now played 3 disc golf courses in Michigan in a few different parts of the state, I've found all of them to be spectacular to this point. I love these sandy dune courses near Lake Michigan, which give some of the best elevation change in the Midwest. Hardly a single hole here was flat, and at about 1.5 miles distance over 24 holes, you'll get a decent workout in.

This course was all but deserted on a Friday morning in January when I played, but indications are it can get quite busy. The ice and snow didn't stop me, and as long as you have a sturdy pair of boots it shouldn't hinder you too much either. There was absolutely no wind while I was there, which surprised me a bit. I expect it could be a factor on other days with the lake so close.

Many of the holes on this course are wooded and technical, but fair. I played one of the best rounds of my life here, and hitting the lines is absolutely doable with intermediate skill. There are some longer, open holes to open up on, and the course flowed well for the most part.

The biggest con, as many people have mentioned, is navigation/signage. It's the issues around this alone that kept me from rating the course a 4.5 - it really is that good. The signs are wood posts with generic lines drawn for the yellow and black routes to the basket. Often, more than one hole's baskets are in view, and this can get confusing. The Chainstar baskets are ok, but only some are labeled with the hole number, and worse, a few have the WRONG hole number on them (such as one of the baskets for 12 labeleld as 11). I can't help but think Innova DISCatchers with the bright yellow bands (or black, for the secondary baskets) and numbers on the rim would go SO far towards improving this. The course maps on DGCR are good, but dated, so only the original 18 holes are included. Holes A-F you are on your own, which was a challenge. I never did find the right basket for hole D. Still, this course was a ton of fun. With improved basket labeling, tee signs, and next tee arrows, this could easily be a 4.5 course. About the only other thing it's missing is a water hazard.

I highly recommend coming to play this course if you are in the area. You won't be disappointed if you love disc golf and love playing in a beautiful natural setting. The concrete tees are not huge, but are in great shape, and with benches on almost every hole, you can take a break after trekking up the hill. There are walking/biking paths, and while deserted during my round, you'll definitely want to watch out for pedestrians. Most holes don't interfere, and the mandos help push for throws away from walking paths. The flow of this course is also very good (once you figure it out) and while some holes are nearby/go back and forth, they generally avoid each other quite well.

I really enjoyed some of the uphill and downhill shots, which start out early, with Hole 3 throwing strongly uphill and then Hole 4 throwing downhill again. This up and down action is everywhere due to the dunes, sometimes forested, sometimes not.

After your round, you can continue to check out the state park by utilizing the area trails if desired.
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10 0
DFrah
Gold level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 5.8 years 227 played 224 reviews
4.00 star(s)

If there was good signage, it would point to a near-destination course!

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Sep 14, 2020 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Shore Acres Park is located on the grounds of the historic Felt Mansion, which is now a wedding/event venue. The first tee is behind a small chapel building, across the parking lot from the mansion itself.

The course plays over rolling hills. The elevation changes here are enough to have an impact on almost every hole. The pin placement features some baskets on slopes to provide nice risk/reward putts. The groundcover ranges from mowed grass to tall grass to woodland and even sand on a couple holes - the course is less than a mile from Lake Michigan. There are really cool cactus-like plants on the ground in a few spots.

There is great variety here not only with the elevation but also with the shape and length of holes. From 200' throws through tight woods to 500' wide open downhill bombs, and meandering left turns to sharp dogleg rights, this course will test every shot in your bag. I believe it would provide significant and interesting challenge even to very experienced DG'ers.

There are cement tee pads in good condition on every hole. Some of the pads even have patio-style bricks lining the front of them which is a nice aesthetic touch. Plenty of benches and trash cans too.

The Chainstar baskets are in fine condition. There are also a couple of practice baskets.

There are 24 holes here, so if you are looking for more than 18 holes this is a great option. The primary 18 holes also each have alternate baskets, and the alternate baskets are usually located to provide significantly different experiences playing the hole. The "yellow" baskets are generally a bit closer to the tee than the "black" baskets, but there are a couple of exceptions to this rule.

Cons:

In my view this course really only has one con, but it's a big one for me so I'm going to spell it out in a lot of detail...signage and navigation.

As mentioned above, each of the main 18 holes has a "yellow" basket and a "black" basket. The tee signs currently are just wood posts with information routered in:
a) The hole number.
b) The yellow basket distance and rough flight path.
c) The black basket distance and rough flight path, where it diverges from the yellow flight path.

With that in mind, the gripes I have are:

- The baskets are not color-coded with yellow or black in any way that was apparent to me. The hole numbers on them are very small - you basically have to be standing right next to the basket to read them. I'm pretty sure that some holes even had the wrong number labeled on the basket.

- Next Tee signage is minimal, with only small indicators on the bottom of many baskets pointing in the general direction of the next tee. There are several places where there is a bit of a walk from basket to tee and/or the course crosses itself between holes, so I feel better directional signage is still needed.

- There is at least one practice basket at the front of the course which is nice, but two other baskets that look like practice baskets are actually the "black" basket for hole 18 and the basket for hole f. I'm pretty sure there are also a couple of other random baskets around the course that aren't for any of the holes. This just adds to the general confusion about which basket to throw to.

- The course has a kiosk, but there was no map posted on it when I played. Both of the maps posted on this site do a decent job of capturing where the YELLOW tees and baskets #1-18 are. Of the red lines on the second version map, not all of them are accurate for the "black" baskets. I scoured the Internet (PDGA, UDisc, Facebook, etc.) and could not find a map other than what is posted here. So...not shown on any map I can find are many of the black baskets, and also any of the holes a-f.

- The additional six holes a-f are placed around the course as follows:
- Hole a is between holes 1 and 2 (replaces an old hole "a" that was between holes 6 and 7).
- Holes b-d are between holes 15 and 16.
- Holes e-f are after hole 18 (or before hole 1).
These holes are nice, mostly shorter throws that I probably would have enjoyed more if I hadn't spent so much time trying to find them. There is absolutely no signage pointing to these holes and they are positioned off to the side of the rest of the course (it's pretty clear they were added more recently) so they are easy to miss if you are wanting to play them.

- There are many tee pads where you can see baskets that aren't for the current hole. In a couple of places, you can't actually see the correct/current baskets (because they are behind trees/hills/whatever) but you can still see incorrect/not current baskets. This in itself isn't an issue, but I think with multiple baskets in view AND multiple baskets per hole a good tee sign should point out all baskets that are in view (i.e. with a color mini-map). Looking at the photos here, it looks like the course used to have nicer tee signs like this. I'm not sure why they were downgraded.

Other Thoughts:

Cell phone service is spotty here. Just an FYI.

I know it looks like I ripped on this course because of the Cons...this is honestly a fantastic course and I have a lot of fun here despite the navigation issues. I understand that if you come play this course a lot, you learn where the baskets are and navigation is easy. But for this to really be a destination level course IMO, it has to be easy to navigate for a first timer or infrequent visitor.

With better signage and color-coordinated new baskets to match the signage, I would probably give this course a 4.5. I'm not sure if it could be a 5.0, as while there are a few memorable holes I'm not sure that any quite reach "wow" level.

TL/DR? Come play this course!!! BUT:
- Download the version 2 map that is currently on here, and note where I said the extra holes are if you want to play 24 (if you use DGCR to track your round, the hole order should also help).
- Be prepared to spend a little extra time finding holes, and don't be surprised if you throw at the wrong basket once or twice.

UPDATE AUGUST 2021: I just played the course again and there have been a couple of updates. Previously only some of the original 18 holes had "black" baskets, which added to the general mess described in Cons above. This has now been addressed, both with the actual baskets being added and the "basic" tee signage updated. Some of the hole distances for the "black" baskets listed on here need to be updated now. While I still feel that the signage and navigation are holding this course back, it is a definite improvement to be consistently playing to "yellow" or "black" baskets and as a result I am increasing my score from 3.5 to 4.0. I have also grudgingly added this course to my Favorites. :) But I'm still wishing for color coordinated baskets and dramatic signage improvements!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022: More incremental improvements have been made here in the past year. Some of the concrete pads appear to have been refreshed, and Indicators were added at the bottom of some - if not most - baskets to point towards the next tee. This is a step towards making the course more navigable for first-timers, though I still don't think it is nearly enough for this semi-confusing layout with multiple baskets and alternate holes (recent UDisc "reviews" seem to agree with me). Finally, the previous "extra" hole "A" that was playable between holes 6 and 7 has been scrapped, and replaced with a new hole "A" that you play between holes 1 and 2. The new hole "A" doesn't have a tee pad or tee sign yet (use UDisc), and isn't a great hole (150' blind over the top of a hill) - but the other hole "A" was nothing special either so this isn't really an upgrade or downgrade. Overall, no change to my rating.
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1 2
DiscGolfer80
Experience: 4.7 years 57 played 56 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Speechless 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 23, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well designed 18 hole course. Well maintained park as well as course. Love the 2 basket option depending on skill level.

Cons:

Challenging for beginners or recreational players. Chance to lose discs in wooded or tall grass areas. A bit frustrating for time visitors to move from hole to hole (minor con) but gets easier after playing course 2+ times.

Other Thoughts:

Bring mosquito spray and wear long pants (in case of trying to find your disc in tall grass areas). Imagine it could be busy during the tourist season in Saugatuck.

Good way to enjoy nature while playing disc golf.
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5 1
Dutchman175
Experience: 17 played 1 reviews
3.00 star(s)

Lots of potential 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 9, 2019 Played the course:once

Pros:

The variety of shots types is excellent; uphill tunnel shoes, downhill wide open bombs, tight tunnels through the woods, naturally forced shots over the top, etc. Large tee pads are also a plus.

Cons:

Signage is extremely minimal. No indications of where the next hole is. Course is essentially unmaintained, so fairways are essentially short wild grass mixed with weeds and occasional cacti (yes, there really are cacti). Nearly impossible to find your way through the course on your own for the first time and find all of the hole options. Two baskets on most of the holes, which sounds nice, but not when they're 30 feet apart and don't change the way the hole is played.

Other Thoughts:

If they reduced to 1 based per hole, improved signage with a metal sign on each hole with accurate distances and pars, make it clear where the next hole is, and generally cleaned up the park this would be a phenomenal course. That being said, it is still a good course, but nothing like it could be with some elbow grease.
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2 1
mr_ruxbin
Experience: 6.9 years 13 played 6 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Fun and different! 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 28, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Very cool course. Has an excellent mix of wide open throwing and woods. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed playing this course and I believe it will become a must play anytime we visit the west coast from now on.

Cons:

Could use slightly better signage to direct you to the next tee, only on a couple holes.

Other Thoughts:

Great mix of trees, open shots and elevation changes. Very fun, even for a beginner.
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12 0
The Valkyrie Kid
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 45.8 years 1563 played 1507 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Shore Acres Provides Challenges For Better Players! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Aug 30, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

Shore Acres Park is a large park next to the mansion. The parking for the course is in the lot in front of the little church. There is a kiosk and benches at the start. Almost every hole throughout the course has at least one bench and oftentimes two. # 3 has a protection wall built to protect players from long throws on 7. The concrete tee pads are nicely long (like 14' long), many are extra engineered with extra support and some have bark in front for follow through. Many holes have two baskets which I find a little confusing since it's not consistent. The tee signs show routes for both white and gold. I think the gold have Chainstars and the whites ????

The course probably plays at an intermediate level. There are lots of solid holes but no one hole really got me excited. I couldn't pick a signature hole. There are five extra alternate holes. The group I was following played these three after # 15 and then the last two after 18 including the tepee hole.

# 12, plays 277' to a basket set among three large Oak trees. It's just a very pretty hole.

Cons:

I happened to begin my round just as a group of locals were beginning a doubles round. So I was able to follow them. I would not have liked to navigate this course solo.

Many solid holes but none really memorable.

Wind could be a factor.

I'm not a fan of putting in alternate holes and of having two baskets on 2/3 of the holes. I found the whole operation a little confusing.

Other Thoughts:

This is definitely a challenging course providing excellent competition for intermediate and advanced players. I think it's a little overwhelming for beginners and recreational players.

Shore Acres has a wonderful mixture of hole types (uphill, downhill, Ace runs, open bomber and tight and technical) and also changes from open to wooded and back to open. There is so much great golf here to be played. I
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10 0
ajbova
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 18 years 112 played 94 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great Course! 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 18, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

Intermediate to Advanced level course. Shorter baskets could cater to beginners. Could is challenging for all skill levels. Course is set in a multi-use park where bikers and walkers are present.

Baskets - Most holes had 2 Chainstar baskets per hole. 3, 6, 7,9, and 17 did not have a second basket. There is a long (pro) short (intermediate). Baskets caught great and provide extra variety. There was also a practice basket as well as an extra hole alongside of hole 17.

Tees - One large concrete tee per hole. Even though many had sand on them, they were grippy. Hole 2 had an alternate rubber tee.

Signs - Nice billboard at start of course listing rules and had a map. I printed one out before coming. Each hole had a wooden post that listed the distances of each basket, as well as a directional map for the basket locations. Accurate for the most part.

Variety - Everything from short and tightly wooded holes to long downhill bomb throws. Every hole had some sort of obstacle (elevation, trees, fences, etc). There were only 5 holes that were truly flat (5, 7, 11, 12 and 15). Every other hole on the course had an elevation change that added to the challenge. Great mix of hole types: Technical holes blended well with long bombers. Accuracy and approach shots are key here. Course went back and forth from being open to wooded to open and ended with an uphill wooded shot. Every hole at this course was different which really stands out.

Elevation - I will give this a separate category. I am from Indianapolis where elevation changes at courses are not very common. This was an added bonus.

Wind factor - Being so close to Lake Michigan, wind can make or break your day. Be prepared.

Navigation - With the exception of a few holes, course flowed pretty well. Without a map this may have been a challenge.

Extremely scenic course. Leaves were changing color when I played and it was very peaceful. Brought my fiance and she spend the whole time taking pictures.

Well maintained - There was a bench, if not 2, at every hole listing the group or person who sponsors the course. Most holes had buckets for trash/cigarette butts. The entire park was clean and well maintained.

Started and ended on a positive note. The iron course sign sets the tone and hole 18 completes it.

Not too far from the highway/town. There are food/beverages options not too far away if needed (especially during the summer when a few of the holes lack shade).

If in a time crunch, it is possible to play a 9 hole loop. 1, 2, 8, 13-18.

Cons:

Not many cons for this course. Pretty much had everything except water hazards!

Course was very crowded when I played (2 PM on a Sunday). There were several groups of 4 or more players. Had to wait at several holes. Fortunately the folk were friendly and let me play through!

Navigation was tricky at a few spots. Some of the longer baskets are closer to different holes. From 2-3: I first saw the tee for 8. From 8-9: I first saw the tee for 13. Having a map helped. Improved signs as well as signs pointing you towards the next tee would greatly improve the course.

A few of the baskets are close to the next tee. I was standing on the tee for hole 3 and someone overshot hole 7 and went right over my head. Long basket for hole 14 is close to the tee for 15. A small safety issue but a con none the less.

Other Thoughts:

This was a very solid course. There is not much I would change. Normally I prefer if courses have 2 tees per hole to cater to different skill levels. Having 2 baskets per hole took care of that. If the course had improved signage and alternate tees (concrete, rubber, or natural), course could easily be a 4.5 out of 5.

With the course being as busy as it was, a second course in the Saugatuck area would make this course less crowded. There are several courses within a 30 minute drive.

I was in town for a vacation and this course really hit the spot. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area or anyone visiting Saugatuck (a nice town if you have never been). I don't often get up into Michigan but would love to come back to play this course (as well as some of the other courses in the area).
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9 1
Reniger
Experience: 20.9 years 49 played 10 reviews
4.50 star(s)

Great Course on Michigan Dunes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 23, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

•Great Layout
Very good use of elevation, wooded and open areas, guard trees, left-to-right and right-to-left holes, short and long holes.
•Very Well Maintained
Local DGC performs upkeep, signage, pads, baskets and very nice hand-made benches at each hole. All baskets were in great shape and most holes had a second basket (they are currently about half way through building a second 18 hole course)
•Well Groomed
Tightly trimmed fairways, some tall rough, but not overbearing, heavily wooded holes still maintained and playable. Clean, textured concrete pads in good condition.
•Good Signage
Map and scorecards at the 1st. Good signage at each hole with most holes having two baskets - both marked at the teepad.
•Trash Cans on Every Hole
No trash to be found at this park whatsoever besides the occasional cigarette.
•Friendly DGC
Ran into two locals from the DGC cleaning benches, picking up trash, cleaning tee-pads and removing graffiti. Both invited my girlfriend and I back for that night's Glow Round while we were in town on vacation

Cons:

Very few and very minor cons;
•Slightly Crowded
For as much room as this park uses, there are multiple overlapping holes. Pin 7 shoots within feet of pad 3. Pads 4 and 10 are on top of each other causing some crowding. Nothing bad by any means, but, a bit crowded.
•5-6 VERY Tight Woods
3, 4, 7, 11, and 18 are wooded, but have good paths for a challenging line. Holes 5 and 6 are so tight that there is no way through the trees without pure luck. Could use a couple trees removed to create a hard line in from one side or the other.
•Slightly Confusing
We did get lost on two holes trying to find the next pad. Didn't lose much time, but, a couple more signs could help newcomers.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, in my top 5 Michigan courses. Challenging, but, not discouraging - great variety of hole types (L/R, R/L, Elevation, Open, Wooded, Long, Short, Grass/Sand) - VERY well maintained - Trash Cans/Bench on every hole - Good community in the area, lots of players cheering on players on other holes and grouping up to speed rate of play.

I really enjoyed this course for the layout, challenge, scenery (small cactus, sand dunes and a '20s mansion overlooking the course) and the upkeep performed to this park.

Would definitely recommend if you're able to get out to the south Holland area.
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5 0
Robo Bug
Experience: 11.8 years 1 played 1 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Nice Variety 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 10, 2015 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great variety of long and short holes, with excellent use of trees and open fields, located near Lake Michigan and the Felt Mansion. The local league looks out for both the course and the mansion, keeping the area well groomed with newer signs, benches, and now alternate hole locations to boot. :)

Cons:

Being near Lake Michigan usually means you'll be dealing with significant gusts of wind from time to time, but don't let the practice basket's environment scare you off. It gets a little less windy as you go.

Also, Tuesday nights are league nights, and the league is HUGE!!! They start around 4:00 PM and will go far into the evening, and though the league is pretty nice in general, they will consume the course with over 80 members. So if you're looking to squeeze in a quick round on a Tuesday night, I'd suggest heading to Macatawa Greenspace in Holland, MI.

Other Thoughts:

This place only gets better with time, and with the dedication of the Shore Acres League. I currently live an hour away from the course, but my wife and I drive up to it for league night every week because of the love and care the league members show for the course. If it wasn't for them, we'd probably head over to Kalamazoo.
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3 5
Caribbeing
Experience: 24.8 years 18 played 12 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Nice enough 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

A number of well-designed holes makes this course a bit above average. It contains a nice balance of woods (precision) vs. fields (power & control). A bit of elevation change on a couple of holes was nice as well. Kind of cool teeing off on hole #1 on the lawn in front of a mansion.

Cons:

Pretty, but not amazing. The way it's named and where it's located gave me hopes of tee pads with stunning Lake Michigan dune views. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Also, they need a course map at the start, or paint a bar of each basket to point the way to the next hole.
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10 0
BogeyNoMore
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Premium Member
Experience: 19.8 years 479 played 183 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Tuck into Saugatuck for the fun of it 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:Aug 17, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

Well-designed course that's both challenging and very fun to play.
• Discplay: Wonderful variety and balance across pretty much every facet of the game.
+ Nice mix of short/med/long holes.
+ Well balanced between left, right, straight, and more complex fairway shapes.
+ Changes pace from open to wooded a few times - nicely avoids feeling repetitive.
+ Elevation's a factor on about 10 or so holes with an assortment of uphill, downhill, rolling and flat holes, plus sloped greens coming into play on a couple of holes that otherwise play kinda flat.
+ Many holes allow for multiple routes, but still has a few that have only one or two ways to get there.
+ One set of tees with alternate pin locations. Both sets of pins are ID'd on the tee posts with black and yellow routes and distances. Hole 10 has both baskets in the ground...does a great job of guarding the short Ace Run.
+ Does a good job of accommodating a range of skill levels.
+ Punishes bad shots fairly - doesn't clobber you for missing by a bit (but you could get some nasty tree kicks).
+ Has many holes that favor well placed tee shots over distance. You're better off making sure you hit a landing zone to set up a nice approach to some of the well-guarded baskets as opposed to trying to get some extra D off the tee. Another 20'-30' added to your upshot shouldn't be a problem if you've set up a good look, but if your tee shot leaves a less than desirable look at the pin, being closer won't help. This is a course where you could play two rounds and really end up with significantly different scores, depending the placement of your tee shots. There are also some holes where big D can be rewarded, possibly netting deuces where noodle arms can only hope for a 3.

• Equipment: Baskets in decent condition. Tee signs were simple, yet effective, with hole #, as well as color coded routes and distances to both pin locations. Concrete tees were occasionally sandy, but in good condition. Everything seemed quite well-maintained, didn't see much trash anywhere.

• Routing/Nav: Quite good for the most part - two of us made our way around in short order having never played here before. There are a couple of spots you could proceed to the wrong tee, or follow what seems like a path to the next tee, (only to find it's really a bike trail), but the good news is the map is accurate and the tee markers let you know if you arrived at the right (or wrong) tee.

• Aesthetics: The scrubby nature of the coastal flora combine with woods and open fields to provide a setting unique from anything I've played to this point. I found the change of scenery from field to woods to coastal scrub interesting and thus added to its eye appeal - very pleasant, but not stunningly beautiful.

• Memorable holes: I'll remember more holes here than I will from most courses, but these really stood out for me: #'s 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10,17, 18, and 14's just hard to throw only one disc on. Feel free to make your own list. I really liked both pin placements on #10. Wish I could have seen more of the alt pin placements on the other holes... they were in the yellow position for my round.

• Extras: Benches at every tee.

Cons:

• A few holes (8, 9, 10) were bunched a bit closely together - off target shots could affect other players. These are good holes, so I see why they did it... but I'm not sure they couldn't have arranged them more of a safety margin while still retaining their character.

• Chainstars catch great but can be tough to spot in shadowy woods.

• Hole 6 seemed a bit poke'n'prayish - more luck than skill.

• Watch out for sandspurs... not nearly as bad as some plants, but the little buggers can wipe the smile right off your face.

Other Thoughts:

Shore Acres strikes a great balance between leaving you frustrated and having a smile on your face by doing both of them quite well. My son described Shore Acres as having "holes with a lot of character," ...I'll agree with that. Very solidly designed course that's so well balanced, there truly is something for everyone here. Many of the holes here seem straightforward enough, but there's more to them than meets the eye. Plenty of interesting lines and variety to keep you engaged the entire round - every hole feels distinct from the others.

• Wind can certainly come into play here.

• Map shows water in play on 14...I have a feeling the low lying bowl is typically swampy during the spring, but there wasn't a drop in sight when I played.

• Seemed pretty well secluded from other park goers during my visit, but it's not completely disc golf dedicated land - there are some areas where you might need to wait for a walker or jogger to clear out of range - it wasn't much of an issue, but I suppose it could be on a busier day with more traffic in the park.

Definitely an excellent course, mostly because of the wide variety and balance across all 18 holes. Not a course I'd describe as "epic" or "intimidating," Shore Acres tests your skill while being very inviting. It has a feel all its own, and I highly recommend it. Pairs well with Macatawa Greenspace (about a 20 min drive) for a great day's discing that's a refreshing change of pace and scenery from typical Michigan courses.
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1 10
nothing but chains
Experience: 1 played 1 reviews
5.00 star(s)

Can Be Here All Day 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 3, 2014 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The hole locations makes it very challenging on a few holes.
Some very hard tee shots involving you to curve your disc around trees.
Some wide open holes as well where you can just chuck as hard as you want with nothing in the way.
Everything about this course is amazing.
Great way to hang out with friends and do something that is time consuming and free!!!

Cons:

Bring water.

Other Thoughts:

Don't expect to be good if it is your first time. This course is very hard for a first time discer
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14 0
davetherocketguy
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 19.6 years 114 played 105 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Discin' in the Dunes! 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Oct 13, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

- Fantastic use of the existing landscape and topography.
- Awesome tee pads. Finished with just the right roughness for that perfect grip. A little sandy on some but that's just the nature of playing in a setting like this.
- No one hole looked like another. Great variety of open, tight and ridiculously narrow shots.
- Not brutally long but some long holes in the mix to keep the big arms happy.
- Nice use of risk/reward. Errant shots are punished here but not horrifically so. Many of the holes place value in accuracy over distance.
- Fun. Every hole was just plain fun.
- Great course to bring beginners. As I already stated not an excessively long course as to not frustrate the newbs too much but still interesting for the pros.
- Trash? What trash? Very nicely kept up park. Trash cans throughout.
- Benches EVERYWHERE. Sooo nice after ambling up and down some of those sandy dunes.

Cons:

- When I played there this park was BUSY. A lot of non-dg'ers were walking the trails that criss-cross many of the fairways. Definitely some safety hazards present here so pay attention to the activities around you.
- Navigation needs to be improved. No next tee signs and a course map is sorely needed. At the first tee. The posts with the hole information are nice and all but it was still a little confusing where the basket is located. Along this item I noticed there were some areas marked off with white paint. Is that OB? No idea. So some more detailed maps at each tee box would be handy because the white lines could not be seen from the tee.
- #9 and #10 are just too close together IMHO. People teeing off on the #9 tee could easily make it to the #10 basket in the gold position with a slightly of course RHBH shot. I know, it's kind of a picky con but get over it. ;)

Other Thoughts:

What a great course. Certainly not your run of the mill professional caliber monster with 1k' long holes but definitely a riot to play. One thing to keep in mind here is the wind. Not a con mind you, but just something to be aware of this close to the lake. The wind coming off the lake can be brutal.

I think if the navigation was tidied up a bit this is certainly a 4.0 course in my book. I will definitely be back and play it again. If you are in the area check it out. Certainly worth the time and effort to play here especially with all the touristy towns nearby including, Saugatuk, Holland, South Haven and Saint Joseph. Just a great area to hang out and visit.

UPDATE: This course is a great example of what a good club can do for a course. They just recently had a cleanup day and with all the little landscaping fixes I just had to come here and adjust my review to 4.0. Way to go folks keeping this course great!
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7 8
Robocision
Experience: 17.3 years 7 played 7 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Uninspiring golf. 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jun 19, 2013 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Great location near Lake Michigan.
-Very long course.
-Beautiful

Cons:

Confusing layout. I'm still confused by the signs. There are multiple baskets per hole?

Chased out aggressively by a league wanting to play two hours before league play began.

Other Thoughts:

I'm not a local. As an outsider looking in, I really can't recommend someone come here if they're not a local. I didn't think the local players were nice at all. I was there hours before their league play started at 6pm and I was still receiving negative comments from members of the league (no idea the league name. Blue shirts.)

Add to this the confusing nature of the course and it's a clear "do not recommend" to those who aren't already regulars. The course itself is good, but the overall feeling of being there was very negative and hostile. To be clear, I was not playing during league time and there were a lot of other non-league players there.
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4 0
Trespayne
Experience: 15 played 3 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Variety Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 16, 2013 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

Great variety-Some shots are wide open, some are lightly wooded, and some heavily wooded. Some shots are long (a few over 400) and some mid range. Signage is good for most of the course.

Course is well kept, and generally pretty clean.

Have been there over 5 times and have never had an issue with people on the course. Always very friendly

Cons:

There are not a lot of really good birdie opportunities, which may not be a con for everybody. There are probably 3-4 that you are expected to get a birdie on, the rest are tough birdies.

There are also not a lot that you would get a bogey on. The long shots are wide open, and the tougher wooded shots are not long enough or punishable enough to cause a bogey even with a bad first throw.

Being close to Lake Michigan and quite open, it can be very windy at times. It is usually not too noticeable most of the time, but putting can be affected a bit from it.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, a great course. I keep coming back because of location to me (15 miles), but even beside that it's a great one to play. The variety is what I like most.
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14 0
Central Scrutinizer
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 34.8 years 166 played 17 reviews
4.00 star(s)

A Fun, Mid-level Challenge Course with Some Outstanding Holes 2+ years

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Dec 17, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

As advertised, a good mix of open and wooded well-designed holes with a good dose of elevation in play. The designers obviously had a good eye for Disc Golf holes.

Nice concrete tees and Discraft Chainstar baskets.

Artificial OB is plentiful and well-placed. Always a plus.

There is a practice basket and a soccer field if you desire to practice throwing drives.

Port-a-johns and nice trash receptacles are here and there as well.

The course flows well. I don't remember there being any badly extraneous long walks between holes.

The challenge level in general is about on par with the original 18 at Flip City, for example, which I find extremely fun to play. At the same time, there are four or five holes more challenging than that, particularly the run of tightly wooded holes from #3-#7 that are on par with the kind of stuff I remember from Cass Benton when it first opened.

I would like to highlight Hole #12 (if I remember the # correctly...). It's a moderately open hole near 300' with four or five very nicely placed tree obstacles in its midsection that define several windows to choose from the tee. A park two-track dirt road defines the boundary to the right, which comes into play if you're taking the biggest and easiest of the available windows from the tee. It's simple and yet outstanding. I'd like to think more of this kind of hole would be easy to find at most courses but I don't see them enough. It's also preceded by a fun and unique little tightly wooded hole that I liked a lot for the same reason...You have multiple choices at the tee from which to choose, and the easiest first option gives you the most perilous second shot (a downhill putt that could get away from you). A cool tree defines the middle of the hole with a branch sticking right where you want to throw if you're trying the anhyzer options. Nice work on this area of the course!

Cons:

Although the course as a whole is lefty-righty balanced, there is one serious design flaw. Of the seven tightly-wooded holes, six are dogleg-right...and on the only one shaped dogleg-left (#18) I still found it useful to tip the angle of my driver with a little anhyzer to keep it out of trouble on the left. They're all good holes in their own right, but I would've liked to have seen two or three moderate to sharp dogleg-left holes for the sake of balance.

If you're a tournament-cashing pro, you will probably smoke this course like you do most. It must be nice. :)

The tee signs have been vandalized, but to be honest, I don't count that against a course unless the navigation is extremely bad. It isn't. I had to look around a little during my first round but figured it out fairly easily. There is only one spot where it's tricky, and it's when you walk to #3's tee passing by #8's tee to get to it. #3-#7 play in a small circle, then you're at #8 and you carry forth with the rest of the course.

I can't help but nitpick a little...

#10 was too easy, especially considering what appears to be some extra room with which to work. I was 5 for 5 with easy pickup deuces even despite the artificial O.B. behind the basket. A good sign that a hole might be too easy is if I step up and deuce it 5 consecutive times. :)

Hole #15 (the one that shoots toward a brown metal park maintenance shed) looks promising from the tee, a risk/reward window at left and a layup for par window at right...but upon further inspection, the r/r window isn't really tempting enough. It's very easy to throw a hyzer through the right layup window leaving you with a 100' upshot or so and get par every time, but the r/r window where it is situated from the tee won't yield very many deuces. However, if the tee was moved merely 30' forward and to the 11 o'clock position from where it is now, the layup option still exists with one new tree in the way to make it a little more challenging...and the r/r window is suddenly tempting and might actually yield a deuce if you try...but you also risk bogeying if you hit those trees.

Other Thoughts:

I had so much of a blast playing Shore Acres Park today, I decided to play a fourth...then a fifth round, despite the protests of my middle-aged hips and knees! The challenge level, like I said above, is right there where I have lots of fun, where someone such as myself (no power...300' drives but decent control and an above average short game) can shoot even with a decent round. Sure, I love tough courses like Fallasburg too where I'm easily at 3.5 per hole, but for some reason this level makes the neurons in my brain sing happy songs. There is a place for courses like this and a place for courses like Fallasburg too, and I suspect the vast majority of the Disc Golfing population feels at home at a course like this.

Other cool features...Perched atop the property and watching over the course is a cool 1920s mansion, now owned by the township, where tours are sometimes available if you're into that sort of thing.

There is also quite a bit of prickly pear on the course, which is always a treat to this Michigander. Michigan prickly pear kind of looks like a hybrid between Texas prickly pear and cow patties...
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1 2
JSquizz
Experience: 12.6 years 16 played 14 reviews
4.00 star(s)

nice, tough course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:Jun 18, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

-variety, there are only a couple of very simple holes on the course, both geographically and skill wise. You need a variety of shots to score well.
-easy to navigate for the most part
-some holes are open bombers and some are poke and pray needle-threaders
-nice concrete tee boxes and the baskets are in great shape

Cons:

-the signage has been abused by the weather and idiot park-goers.
-a few holes are very difficult with the trees

Other Thoughts:

Not a course for beginners, unless they have a lot of resolve to play the game. Course is very long and some children might struggle walking the entire course. There are many very diffcult holes, some just being dumb luck to par.
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6 2
Innovadude
Diamond level trusted reviewer
Experience: 25.8 years 235 played 180 reviews
3.50 star(s)

active park 2+ years

Reviewed: Played on:May 27, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

- Good overall fair design, plenty of left shots but also righty, not much for boring straight holes here
- Good elevation, landscape, grooming
- Fairly minimal ivy (in fairways)
- Signs, pads, ample parking

Cons:

- A few signs missing/vandalized
- Tees can be covered in sand, bring your own broom
- #16 could be unsafe for a jogger coming down the path if the person on the tee isn't paying attention
- 3-5 woods holes are just too tight, offering up no fairway (hole #6 especially- ZERO chance of a good drive)

Other Thoughts:

Scope out the holes, often blind.
Fun
Best hole: tie between #3 and #14- #3 is an uphill shot that at first bends slight left but finishes further right, basket on the edge of a steep thickly wooded hill. Short, it really offers no rhbh shot for the park job, without super luck or skill, this hole will teach you that you need sidearm. #14 is a long downhill hole off the edge of a dirt hill, it can be reached by big arms, but they must clear a small pond in front of the basket (dry when I played).
Worst hole- #6- an uphill hole in tight woods with truly no fairway, you'd have to get insanely lucky or hit the best shot ever to park it, most good shots will just get tree-nied and end up at the bottom of the hill for a 3.
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2 1
ACE Ventura
Experience: 12.9 years 105 played 24 reviews
4.00 star(s)

Great course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Updated: Played on:May 15, 2012 Played the course:5+ times

Pros:

The course has had some recent upgrades to start off the 2013 summer, including new posts at the tees that give accurate hole layouts and new pin positions. Also all tees are cemented now and in great shape.

The elevation changes are moderate and are in play on the majority of the holes. I really have fun on the wooded holes because it can make or break your round depending on the "tree love" you get.

There is a nice mix of hyzer/ anhyzer shots necessary and several blind shots (thankfully the new posts help guide you!) offer a higher degree of difficulty but nothing impossible for beginners.

The unanimous favorite hole is #14 which is thrown from the top of a sand dune/ bluff and the new hole position puts the basket ~500 feet out. Definitely a hole to empty your bag on. Also the water hazard is completely dry 99.9% of the time, I've never seen any water in it. The course is sand so any water soaks up quick.

Cons:

I don't really have many cons for this course. I could be nit-picky and say there should be more garbage cans but there are still a couple.

Other Thoughts:

Wear shoes and watch out for catci. Bring some water and spend a day playing a couple of rounds, it's definitely a great course to spend an afternoon at.
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1 7
jcarter
Experience: 17 played 17 reviews
2.00 star(s)

2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:May 13, 2012 Played the course:once

Pros:

alot of land to play on, majority of the holes had signs, cement tee pads, some benches, decent baskets.

Cons:

short cement tee pads, long waiting for next hole, to mnay people playing (not use to it) trash barrels need to be changed,

Other Thoughts:

will not return, to long of a course because of all the waiting for the next hole to open up.
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